Sunlit Pathways
by BlueDolphinz
Summary: Sequel to Starlight Crossings. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ PREQUEL! Edward and Bella are now married, but life is anything but calm as their honeymoon is interrupted. Watch our favorite couple overcome the twists of the vampire world. AU.
1. Chapter 1: Volterra

AN: Alright, the sequel

AN: Alright, here's the sequel. Thank you for all the great reviews. Hope you like.

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 1: Volterra**

Bella looked out of the small window upon the green rolling fields speeding by below. Her hand was clasped with Edward's on the armrest, as he reclined on the seat and pretended to sleep.

A slight squeeze on his hand made him open his eyes, looking curiously at his wife, who was still gazing out the window.

"What's wrong love?" he asked quietly, leaning forward.

Bella's worried golden eyes met his.

"I don't like this Edward," she whispered, "Why did the Volturi decide to invite us to meet them just because we were 'in the area'?"

Edward released his hand from hers, only to wrap his arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry Bella. The most they can do is attempt to convince us to join their guard, which they have done before."

"Not to me" said Bella.

"Then maybe they're curious about you."

"Why didn't they call me before then? I was changed thirty years ago"

"The Volturi count years as we count days. They probably heard about you when you were changed , and finally decided it was time to call you to meet you"

Bella's worried expression remained, "I still don't like it"

XXX

The rented blue Mercedes slid to a quiet stop at the gates of Volterra. Edward quietly exchanged a few words with the guard, who nodded and let the car slip into the pink- walled city.

Volterra was, to say the least of it, amazing. A city of art, every building was constructed carefully, keeping in mind precision and detail. The castle stood, intimidating, on the edge of the city, a dangerous beauty surrounding it.

The interior of the castle itself was awe- inspiring. Beautiful artwork lined the walls, which themselves were carefully inlaid with detailed designs.

"This place is creepily beautiful," said Bella, keeping her hand secured firmly in Edward's as her eyes took in the large, silent, hall.

A beautiful woman walked out of a doorway, "Are you Edward and Isabella Cullen?" she asked.

Bella stared in shock at the woman's blue eyes, listening to her beating heart.

"Yes," said Edward, "Aro invited us for reasons he did not mention"

"Of course. He was excited to see you ever since the report came from the guard that you were here. I'll just have someone escort you to the lords' chamber"

"Thank you," said Edward politely, as she walked away.

"They keep humans here?" hissed Bella, "And she's here _willingly _knowing what they are?"

Edward's face had become impassive, "She's hoping that they will keep her"

Bella looked even more shocked as two figures in long, black, flowing cloaks entered.

"Hello," said the slighter of the two, "I am Demetri, and this is Felix"

Bella and Edward nodded in greeting.

"Follow us," commanded the bulkier figure, Felix, "The masters are waiting for you"

Edward's eyes narrowed slightly at Felix, and he tightened his hand around Bella's.

Demetri noticed this and cast Felix a warning look, before turning and leading the way out of the hall. Edward and Bella followed, with Felix walking behind them.

They walked in complete silence through long corridors, which were just as beautiful as the entrance hall. Edward occasionally scowled in Felix's direction, while Bella squeezed his hand in an attempt to calm him.

Finally, the small group reached a large pair of double doors, which Demetri threw open.

"Masters, Edward and Isabella Cullen" he announced.

"Edward!" exclaimed a vampire with papery skin, black hair, and crimson eyes, his figure draped in a black cloak similar to Felix and Demetri's, "So _nice _to see you again"

"The same Aro," said Edward.

"And this must be Isabella," Aro turned to Bella, "Lovely to meet you at last my dear. Edward, she is quite lovely. Congratulations to both of you on your marriage"

Bella murmured a thank you.

"This is Marcus," said Aro, as a black haired vampire stepped forward, "And Caius," a vampire with snow white hair nodded dismissively, "They rule Volterra with me. Of course, they were most interested when I informed them that you would be arriving"

Marcus and Caius' expressions of complete boredom and detachment proved contradictory to this statement.

"Not to be blunt, Aro," said Edward, "But why would our arrival be interesting?"

"Why Isabella of course!" cried Aro happily, "We have heard all about your power," he said to Bella, "Of course we gave you enough time to control yourself around humans before calling you over here. And then we heard you were in Europe along with Edward (I was _most_ surprised to hear that Edward had at last found a mate), and decided to invite you here since you were so close"

Edward cast Bella a small smile at this, in memory of their conversation on the plane, the Volturi counted years as people counted days.

"Pardon me, but that still doesn't clear up why meeting me would be interesting" said Bella.

"Well, from what we have heard," said Aro, "Your power seems to be quite extraordinary"

"It's not, really" said Bella.

"To the contrary my dear, it is very special. May I—" he held out his hand.

Bella looked at him questioningly.

"His power is like mine, Bella, except much broader. He can see every thought and memory you have ever had," Edward muttered in her ear, "However, it is required for him to have contact with you"

Bella nodded, reaching out her hand and touching Aro's already extended one.

Aro's eyes narrowed in concentration for a moment, then his expression cleared, "This is indeed very extraordinary!" he exclaimed, letting go of her hand, "I can't read a thing! Do you mean to tell me that you can block all mental powers?" he asked.

Bella hesitated, "Well it's not as much of a block as just built in. I mean I don't control it at all. It just happened"

"Still, it is very interesting," said Aro, gazing at her thoughtfully, "I wonder whether Jane's power will work on her…" he mused.

Edward snarled.

"But of course, we wouldn't try that," Aro amended hastily, "No, it would be too cruel… Well, we shall situate the two of you in your room. Demetri?"

Demetri stepped forward, silently motioning Bella and Edward to follow him.

Once again, they proceeded down corridors to a set of doors. One of the doors opened, revealing a very familiar, black- haired, golden eyed vampire.

"_Arielle_?"

XXX

AN: Okay, I am prepared to be completely killed, but I couldn't resist. I know I promised no more cliff hangers, but this one slipped out, I swear. And if you think about it, it's not that big of a cliff hanger, atleast I hope. And I know it's going too fast, that's how it is. There are no introductions or easing into the plot because it's a sequel. But, things will become a little mellow, I think. Tell me what you think, review, review, review!! Hope you liked it!!

oxBluexo


	2. Chapter 2:Strange

AN: Wow, I didn't get killed in the reviews

AN: Wow, I didn't get killed in the reviews! Thank you all my reviewers, and also the people to added me to their favorites/ alerts list! Here's chapter 2…

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 2: Strange**

Arielle stared, then proceeded to choke Bella in a hug.

"Bella!" she said excitedly, "We missed you!"

"Me too" said Bella, "But what are you doing here?"

"We're all here" said Arielle, "The whole family"

"But _why_?"

"The Volturi invited Riley here. They count years like days, so I suppose they finally caught up on the fact that Riley was changed and all ready for a check-up so… er, no offense…" she said the last part to Demetri who was glaring at her, "Anyway, we weren't about to let Riley come alone to a bunch of weirdo vampire rulers he's never seen…" she trailed off again, looking at Demetri who was once again glaring at her, "Do you think you could go now? Your glaring is creepy…"

"Your room is next to Kayla and Anthony's" said Demetri shortly to Bella, scowling at Arielle before turning around and silently walking out of the corridor, his cloak swishing behind him.

"Way to make someone mad Arielle," said Edward.

"Edward!" she said happily, hugging him, "It's great to see you!"

"Great to see you too" said Edward.

"Hey Arielle, did I just hear Bella and—oh" said Kyle, before catching Bella up in a hug, "We missed you Bells! You are never going on a honeymoon again!"

"Yes, because I plan to go on so many of those," said Bella dryly.

"Well, you could have another wedding like Rosalie and Emmett do" he said, "Hey Edward, nice to see you"

"Same here," said Edward.

"Come on, let's go into our room," said Arielle, "We'll call the others in- Kayla, Riley, Anthony, Elena, John, come on! - and we can fill each other in"

"Good," said Bella gratefully, as they went into Kyle and Arielle's room. No sooner had she taken a seat that the rest of the Parkers entered.

"Bella!" Kayla threw herself on her, hugging her, "It's so great to see you!"

"Same here, it's been way too long," said Bella.

"Hey, Bella," Anthony hugged her, "Long time little sis"

Bella laughed as Elena came up and hugged her, "It's lovely to see you again dear"

John gave her a hug too, taking Kyle's view of her not being allowed to go on such a long trip again.

"So how was the honeymoon?" asked Anthony suggestively. Kayla smacked him on the head, "Ow! Okay, okay, so where did you guys go?"

"Austria, France, Germany," Bella reeled off, "Holland, Switzerland…" Edward grinned at this mention.

"Had fun eh?" asked Kyle, only to be smacked by Arielle.

"And then we were in Greece when we got the message from the Volturi" finished Bella.

The mood instantly sobered.

"Bella, did you meet Aro, Marcus, and Caius?" asked John.

"Yes," said Bella, "He finds my power 'extraordinary'" she rolled her eyes, "He wants to find out how immune I am, and especially wants to test me with Jane"

Edward growled slightly, "He's not going to do it"

"Of course he's not" said John.

"What about you?" asked Bella, "And where's Riley?"

"He's gone for a walk in the gardens," said Arielle.

"They wanted to see how Riley's power worked," said Kyle, "They mentioned you Edward. Told us that they had tried to recruit you"

"Yes they did" said Edward, "A long time ago, before Rosalie was changed."

"They take time to catch on, don't they?" Arielle mused, "Suppose it must come after being alive for several odd millennia. You know there's another vampire here? I've seen her around, she's not part of the Volturi though. I think Aro said her name once, I can't be sure though."

"So what happened with Riley?" prodded Bella, dismissing the girl.

Kayla sighed, "Riley's been acting very… strange. We've been here almost a month—"

"—You guys have been here a _month_?!" asked Bella, shocked.

"Well, yes" said Kayla, "Well, Riley, John, and Elena have been here a month. Kyle and Arielle came a week later, and then Anthony and me came a few days after that"

"What have you been doing this long?"

"The Volturi kept detaining us, saying that they would like to get to 'know' us better, but we know they're trying to persuade Riley to join them," said Kyle, "I guess they figured that if there were two mind readers running around, they might as well have one of them in their guard. And you, Edward, flatly refused. Riley however…" he exchanged a worried glance with John, "Riley told the Volturi he would think about it. He's not made a definite yes or no yet. And you can bet the Volturi are trying to sway him to the yes side"

"Of course we wouldn't prevent him from joining, if he really wanted to join," said Elena.

"He hasn't been around much either," said Arielle.

"Yeah, he's always going for a walk somewhere" put in Anthony.

"That odd," said Bella, "Maybe he's just upset"

"About what?"

Bella shrugged, stumped. She looked up at Edward, "Maybe we should get our stuff from the car and unpack"

Edward nodded, "Come on. We'll see you all in a while"

Different variations of good bye were said as they exited the room.

Edward reached over and took Bella's hand in his, "So what do you think is bothering Riley?"

"I really have no idea" she said.

"Bella?" asked a voice from the other side of the corridor they were currently in.

"Riley!" said Bella happily, giving him a hug, "How are you?"

"Good," he said, "So I see you've been called too"

"Yeah," she said, "Aro wants to test my power as far as he can. I don't know why he's bothering, he should know that if Edward refuses to join, so do I"

"He's hoping it'll be the other way around," said Edward, "That you will join and I will join with you"

"Yeah," said Riley, "I'm not joining"

"You've decided?" asked Bella.

"Yes," he seemed slightly strained, "I'm definitely not joining. I was just going over to Aro to tell him."

"That's great!" said Bella, "I think he'll keep us here for a while longer, though, to test my power… do you know what he was thinking Edward?"

"Aro was hoping that you would join and convince me to do so but I think they knew it was a lost cause, especially Marcus" said Edward.

"Good," said Bella, "Alright, let's go get our bags. See you around Riley. Oh, and take someone with you when you go tell Aro that you won't be joining."

"Sure thing" Riley smiled, as they continued on their way.

"Something's off," muttered Edward, "Riley was singing in his head. He's trying to hide something"

"He's different," said Bella, "But I'm glad he's not joining. I would hate it if he did"

Edward nodded, still lost in his musings.

XXX

AN: okay, I know this was a pretty slow chapter. But on the bright side, I have most of the plot planned out. I think it's pretty twisty, and I'm praying that it will work out. Oh, and, just for fun, if you can tell me what you think is an important line or fact in this chapter that will affect the story in your review, you will get a line from the next chapter in my reply. But only if the fact/line is correct! I got that idea from OliviaJane, who has awesome stories, by the way. So go ahead, read it over once more, see what you think is important! And REVIEW! Hope you liked!

oxBluexo


	3. Chapter 3: Leaving

AN: Here's chapter 3…

AN: Here's chapter 3…

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 3: Leaving**

"Well, Bella, are you absolutely sure that you do not wish to join?"

"With all due respect, Aro, you have asked me that question many times over the course of this week, and my answer has yet to change" said Bella.

Aro sighed, "If it must be so. Sad, such… potential gone to waste"

Bella's face remained impassive, "May I leave then, along with my family?"

Aro let out another sigh, "Yes, I see no reason to detain any of you longer"

The nine vampires gathered in the room glanced at each other in relief.

"Yes!" said Arielle, "I can't wait to get out of this—" she stopped, clapping her hand over her mouth, "Oops"

The three Volturi and six members of their guard were glaring at her, save for Marcus, who seemed to be permanently uninterested, and Aro, who was perpetually cheerful.

Jane narrowed her eyes at Arielle, who looked back at her in confusion.

It all happened very quickly then.

"No!" Kyle jumped in front of Arielle, falling to the ground and writing in pain. Arielle stared at him in shock, connecting the pain to Jane, who was smirking at Kyle.

"Stop it!" shrieked Arielle, as she knelt next to Kyle, who was still being tortured. Jane's glare merely intensified.

A second later Kyle had stopped struggling, and Jane was on the floor, knocked over by Arielle.

"You sick, twisted, bitch!" she screamed, "He didn't do anything to—" Her words were cut off by a scream as she fell to the ground the same way Kyle had.

And then her pain was stopped, and Jane was pinned to the floor.

Bella snarled at Jane, hands at her throat. Jane narrowed her eyes at Bella, then gaped in shock as nothing happened. Jane screamed in frustration, glaring at Bella.

"Never, ever hurt my family again!" hissed Bella, "Or you will be so, very, sorry!"

Aro chuckled, finally deciding it was time to intervene, "Now, now, children," he said cheerfully, "Do stop fighting"

Bella stood up, dusting herself off and going back to stand next to Edward.

"It really is a pity you won't join us Isabella," said Aro regretfully, carefully steering away from the tussle, "We ask that you stay here until dusk of course," said Aro, "It is rather sunny outside"

"Of course," said John, "Thank you for everything Aro"

Aro waved his hand, "Heidi is coming… are you sure you would object to partaking in some of your natural food source?"

"I think not," said John.

"Come on," murmured Edward, hurrying Bella out of the room, as tourists began entering the room.

"They're _food_?" asked Bella, shocked.

Edward nodded, as the family entered a series of corridors.

Elena winced as screams were heard from the chamber they had just left behind.

Kyle, however, rounded on Arielle, "What were you _thinking_?!"

Arielle gazed at him fearfully, giving no reply.

"Deciding to antagonize the _Volturi_?! Arielle, I know you've never met them before, but you have to have more common sense than that!"

"Kyle…" said Bella faintly.

Kyle ignored her, "You're sarcastic and bold and brave, I know that. But we're talking about the Volturi here. Those ultimately powerful vampires with guards we have no chance of denting, and who could rip us to shreds? Yeah, that would be them. And annoying them is completely stupid"

"I know it was stupid!" snapped Arielle, "And I'm sorry, okay? I'm just sick of being here for so long for no reason at all. You know how I deal with tension Kyle"

"Yeah?!" asked Kyle, "Do you have any idea how I felt when Jane was about to torture you?! And when she actually was torturing you?!"

"Probably the same way I felt when you jumped in front of me to stop her from hurting me" retorted Arielle.

Kyle roared, pinning her against the wall and kissing her fiercely, disregarding the eyes of their family watching them which were torn between amusement and worry.

"I… love…you…so…much" Kyle said in between kisses, "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling back and surveying her at arm's length, "You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm fine," Arielle laughed, "You're an overprotective fool, you know that?"

"Of course," said Kyle, nuzzling her neck.

"Come on you two, break it up!" called Anthony, instantly getting smacked by Kayla.

"Shut up, they're cute!" she hissed at him.

Anthony mumbled something about abuse.

"Sorry about that" said Kyle, running a hand through his hair.

"No problem," said Edward, "Let's go to the reception area. I'd like to get out of these corridors, if anything"

"Let's go," said Elena, smiling at Arielle and Kyle.

They resumed their progress towards the entrance.

"Hello!" said the overly cheerful secretary as they entered the reception hall, "Please make yourselves comfortable. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me"

"Thank you," said John politely, as they all took seats on the various couches laid around the room.

"So where are you guys situated now?" asked Bella.

"Portland, Oregon," said Kayla, "Atleast that's where we're going to go"

"See, the plan was for it to be a reverse of what happened in Forks," said Arielle, "We'd move there first, after you guys returned, and then the Cullens would move after taking a short break from human life. We've been living in Alaska for the past year"

"So, you're honeymoon was just finishing, and we were all set to move in to Portland," said Kayla, "And then the Volturi called Riley. Like we said, we weren't going to let him go alone. So the Cullens said they'd move in first, and we'd come after our little problem with the Volturi was solved."

"The way we figured it was, that it would be about three of our 'lives' before the humans caught on to the fact that two breathtakingly beautiful families were moving around the rainy towns in USA" said Anthony.

"Anway," said Arielle, "The Cullens are there right now, probably already settled in. We still hadn't decided which family both of you were going to have to be a part of, because, you have to be in the same family. It would be weird if you never knew each other and suddenly started dating, the kids at school would get suspicious. Obviously, now you're going to have to be a part of our family, since Edward's family is all moved in"

"Of course," said Edward, "Am I going as a Parker?"

"Well, me and Arielle were talking about this," said Kyle, "We thought that you could go as Parker. Since Bella's now married to you, she could take on Masen, your human last name. That way you guys would still have some sort of connection, you get what I mean?"

Edward grinned, "Bella Masen. I like the sound of that"

"So do I," said Bella thoughtfully, "So do we switch families every time we move?"

"Pretty much," said Arielle.

"So will I always be Bella Masen?"

"Yeah," said Kyle, grinning slightly, "Edward's the only one who has to switch last names"

Edward shrugged, "Her name still makes her my wife, even if the humans don't know it. I love it, personally"

"Of course you do," said Arielle, rolling her eyes, "You're as possessive as Kyle is. Actually scratch that, you are more possessive than Kyle is"

"Hey!" protested Kyle, about to defend himself, when Edward's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"It's Rosalie," the vampires in the room could hear every word through the cell phone, "There are a bunch of newcomers here"

"As soon as we get out of the castle we'll take the first flight to Oregon," promised Edward, "Are they causing trouble?"

"Sort of…" said Rosalie, "They drink human blood. Carlisle told them they couldn't hunt in the city, or anywhere close for that matter. And I don't think they're going to listen to him."

XXX

AN: Lol, my twist seems to be working out. Sorry about the cliffhanger, but, I'm working on the next chapter right now. As soon as I post this. I hope the moving plan wasn't confusing. If you have questions, just review, I'll be happy to answer them. Hope you liked it, please review!

oxBluexo


	4. Chapter 4:Lull

Sunlit Pathways

AN: hmmm, this chapter is just a bridge, like it's title, a lull in the action. Hope you like!

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 4: Lull**

Bella snuggled up next to Edward, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest. He kissed her hair softly, rubbing circles on her back.

The flight attendant was wheeling a cart filled with drinks and snacks down the aisle.

"Hell, can I get you anything?" she asked, as she reached their seating row. Her eyes lingered on Edward appreciatively for a moment and then registered disappointment as she saw Bella's glare.

"No thank you," said Bella very politely, "Also, please don't bother that couple over there—" she pointed to Arielle and Kyle, who were curled up with each other and pretending to sleep. Bella lowered her voice, "I know she wouldn't appreciate it you decided to ogle _her_ husband."

The flight attendant looked stunned, and she wheeled the cart away.

"Little jealous, are we love?" teased Edward.

Bella looked up at him, "I have no idea what you're talking about. But, I seem to recall a certain Mike Newton… who was terrified because you happened to mention to him that you were watching him to make sure he didn't lay a hand on me"

Edward laughed, kissing her, "I suppose we all have moments of possessiveness"

"Yes we do," agreed Bella, "You know, once we were in Seattle, a long time ago, the first time I went to school as a vampire. So, There was this guy there, and I have to hand it to him, he was pretty cute, football captain and all, but the cockiest person I have ever seen."

"Hmm… I think I dislike this person already," said Edward.

"Anyway, he decided to set his sights on Arielle. He was in three of her classes so he was constantly talking to her, attempting to ask her out. And he was smart enough not to do it around Kyle. Arielle knew how Kyle could get so she didn't tell him either. But she did get pissed off at this guy a few times because he wouldn't stop badgering her. And then when the guy asked her out in lunch by accident, Kyle threw a fit. Seriously, you should have seen him glaring at the kid. He looked so scary. And Arielle is the same way about him. Anytime any girl tries to flirt with him they have to face Arielle's wrath. You saw her with Jane didn't you?"

"Talking about us are you?" Bella and Edward looked up to see Kyle and Arielle grinning at them.

"Just telling Edward how you terrorized that kid in Seattle,' said Bella lightly.

"Oh yeah, that kid was so annoying," recalled Arielle.

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me about him," Kyle said to her, "I could have taken care of him"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you Kyle," Arielle rolled her eyes, "You get so ridiculously overprotective, not to mention jealous of any other guy who looks at me"

Bella threw Edward a pointed look, "See what I mean?" she mouthed.

Edward nodded, on the verge of laughter.

"I am not overprotective," defended Kyle, "Edward is just as protective of Bella. And I'm not jealous either."

"You keep telling yourself that, Kyle" said Bella.

Edward burst into laughter, unable to contain himself anymore. Passengers' heads turned, looking at the gorgeous boy who was laughing uncontrollably.

Bella elbowed Edward in the ribs, and he instantly smothered his laughter after catching the stares. After a few moments the passengers went back to their original tasks, stopping every once in a while to glance furtively at Edward.

"Way to weird out a crowd Edward," teased Arielle.

"Sorry," said Edward, "But, you guys are way too funny"

"Nice to know," said Kyle sarcastically, "Would you like a repeat?"

"Please don't," said Kayla from the seat behind them, "Or else the entire plane will be staring at you again"

"I have a question," said Arielle, "How many vampires are there?"

"Well if you hadn't been 'busy' with Kyle, you would have known that," said Kayla.

Arielle scowled playfully at her, "So how many?" she asked Edward.

"Four," he answered, "Three females, and one male. Very attractive apparently. According to Jasper, one of them gave Rosalie a run for her money. Of course, Rosalie denied this."

"Does that mean we have competition?" Bella smirked at Kayla and Arielle.

Edward snorted, "Don't be ridiculous Bella. First of all," he lowered his voice, "They drink from humans. Secondly, even if they didn't you'd still be the most beautiful thing on the planet. There's not even a question of competition" he kissed her softly.

Kayla and Arielle, having caught every word, looked expectantly at their husbands, who immediately proceeded to dazzle them, following Edward's example.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking," a voice crackled from the speaker,

"We are circling over Portland and should be landing in a few minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts.

Bella released herself form Edward's hold and stretched, buckling her seatbelt, 'not that they needed them' as Anthony pointed out. "Who's picking us up at the airport?" she asked.

"Rosalie," replied Edward, "She brought my car to Portland for me"

Bella snapped up from her slouch, "My car! Kyle!"

"What?" asked Kyle.

"What did you do with my BMW?!"

A smirk came across Kyle's face, "Well… you know we all have our own cars, it was hard to drive it you know… we sort of had to sell it…"

"Kyle Stratford, don't you lie to me!" said Bella, "I can tell, remember? Now what did you do with it?"

"Relax, Bella, it's there at our house," said Arielle, "In Portland," she added, "I asked Alice to bring it over. I knew you'd throw a fit if it wasn't there"

"Thanks Arielle," Bella slumped back in her seat.

Edward chuckled, taking her hand in his and kissing it, "And you say I overreact"

"This is my _car_" stressed Bella, "I'm sure you'd be pretty beaten up if Rosalie didn't bring yours"

Edward laughed again, "Alright, I would be"

Bella sighed, "I wish those new vampires hadn't come," she said, changing the subject, "You know, we were just going to go home, our new home, and relax, after our honeymoon. And now we have something else to disrupt our lives. I don't know about you, but I really want this to finish"

"I know what you mean love," said Edward, "And I want the same. I promise though, after we take care of these vampires, and we finish life in Portland, we'll take a break. Disappear form human life. Take a break. A _long_ one" he grinned.

"That sounds good," said Bella, "Promise?"

"Absolutely," he asserted.

XXX

AN: okay, this chapter was just a bridge, to relax everything kind of, and shed some light on the living arrangements. Next chapter, is where the fun begins. Thanks for reviewing, and please CONTINUE reviewing, I'm not getting that many reviews here. I need to know you guys are still reading you know!

oxBluexo


	5. Chapter 5: Arrival

AN: Chapter five… who will the newcomers be

AN: Chapter five… who will the newcomers be??

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 5: Arrival**

"Bella!" greeted Alice excitedly, throwing her arms around her sister in law.

"Oh don't bother about your brother," said Edward, coming in, "Go straight to his wife"

Alice grabbed Edward in a hug too, "It's nice to see you too Edward. But Bella lets me do makeovers on her"

"Involuntarily, of course" added Bella.

"And you don't" finished Alice, "Esme! Carlisle! Emmett! Jasper! Get over here, Bella and Edward are back! Where are the Parkers?"

"I just dropped Arielle and Kyle off," said Rosalie, entering the house, "The rest of them had cars. They went to their place, Elena wanted to settle down before meeting the new vampires"

"Where are they?" asked Bella.

"They're hunting," said Alice, her mood turning somber, "In a town far away, thankfully. But they're still hunting."

"That's awful," said Bella.

"But there's nothing we can do about it" said Jasper, as he came in with the rest of the Cullens.

"Hi Bella!" said Emmett, giving her a bone crushing hug, "See, I've told everyone that we should just kill them, but they don't listen to me"

Bella laughed, "That's what Anthony suggested in the car too"

"We can't just kill them, Emmett," said Esme, "They're not doing anything wrong, atleast not by vampire laws"

Emmett shrugged.

"Esme's right," said Carlisle, with an air of finality, "We can't kill them"

"Unless they do something wrong," said Jasper, grinning wickedly.

"Unless they do something wrong," relented Carlisle, "When will the Parkers be over here Rosalie?"

"They said they'd come by in a few hours. Isn't that when our new clan said they'd be coming?"

"Yes, they just called," said Esme, "They said they would be here in about four hours"

"Great," said Bella, "So do we wait?"

"We wait," confirmed Carlisle.

XXX

The doorbell rang.

Upstairs, Edward and Bella cast each other a grim look. The scents were not familiar. The new vampires were here. Hand in hand, they made there way downstairs to the foyer, where four crimson eyed vampires were standing. The apparent leader-tall, gorgeous, and dark haired- looked up at the staircase as soon as they came down.

She let out a trilling laugh, "And this must be Edward and Bella!" she said sweetly, "How nice! We have been waiting to meet you for a very long time you know, especially Brett here. Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Serena, and here is Yvonne-" the blonde nodded, "And this is Charmaine" a nervous looking brunette smiled slightly.

"Nice to meet you," said Bella politely.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

"Well, shall we all sit down?" said Esme, attempting to relieve some of it.

"Of course!" said Serena, who seemed perfectly at ease. She walked with amazing grace to the living room, the other three following her just as gracefully.

"I don't like her," Bella whispered into Edward's ear, in a voice too low for even the nearby vampires to hear.

"Me neither love," he said, "Be careful, okay?"

Bella nodded, as they entered the living room.

"Bella, Edward, I understand you were just on your honeymoon?" said Serena conversationally.

"Yes we did," said Edward, "We just got back actually"

"Where are the Parkers?" asked Charmaine suddenly.

"They should be here in a while," said Rosalie. The doorbell rang, "They're here right now"

Bella ran to open the door.

"Hi" she said, letting all the seven vampires file in.

"How are they Bella?" asked John, his voice low.

"I don't like them," said Bella, in the same tone, "They don't seem to have good intentions, from what I can tell"

"We'll just have to see" said Elena, "Let's go"

The vampires headed towards the living room.

"Hello!" said Serena brightly.

The Parkers smiled politely, all except Riley. Riley was even paler than normal, staring at the brunette newcomer.

"_Charmaine?!_" he gasped.

Charmaine looked down at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.

The rest of the vampires looked at him in surprise.

"Hey!" said Arielle suddenly, "You're that girl I saw wandering around the castle in Volterra. Remember that girl I told you about?" she asked Edward and Bella, "Well, that's her"

"And apparently Riley knows her" said Kyle, "Care to explain, Riley?"

"Charmaine was at the castle," he muttered, "At the same time I was. We were friends. The Volturi were looking to recruit her too"

Edward and Jasper glanced at Serena in surprise. Her eyes were narrowed at Charmaine, before her face smoothed out into a delighted expression.

"Well!" she clapped her hands, "Isn't this lovely?! You two know each other!"

"Simply brilliant," said Riley.

Serena ignored the sarcasm, "Charmaine, you must stay here and get to know your friend better!"

"It's okay," said Charmaine nervously, "We can move on, really"

"Nonsense!" said Serena gaily, "I'm sure Carlisle wouldn't mind –Oh, I'm sorry! Carlisle, would you mind us staying here for a few days?"

If Carlisle was annoyed, he didn't show it, "Of course," he said courteously, "As long as you don't hunt in this area, you are welcome to stay"

Serena glanced around happily at the rest of the vampires, most of whom were not bothering to hide their expressions of annoyance.

"Really Serena," said Yvonne, "We don't need to stay here"

"Of course we do, Yvonne!" cried Serena, "Charmaine can stay and get to know Riley better, and you know how nice it will be to take a break from the nomadic life. You have no idea how tiring it can get after a while," she spoke to Carlisle.

"I'm sure it must be tough," said John.

"Oh it is" she said, letting out another trilling laugh.

"How about I show you your rooms?" asked Esme, "Do you have any luggage?"

"Yes," said Yvonne, "It's in the car. Come on, Brett, let's get it" Brett, who had yet to speak a word, obeyed. The two of them loped out of the house into the driveway.

"Come on Charmaine," said Serena, "Let's go with Esme" Esme led both of them up the stairs to the guest rooms. The tension in the air seemed to follow them.

"Well," said Anthony, exhaling, "That was a headache"

"She is so annoying" said Kayla.

"Make sure they can't hear you," cautioned Elena.

"They're living with us" said Emmett in disgust.

"I'm sorry," said Carlisle, "But you know that we can't turn them down, especially if they haven't done anything to us and abide by our condition. She might be annoying, but it's better to put up with her than have a fight break out"

"I suppose so," said Edward, "Will they come to school with us?"

"I'm not sure," said Carlisle, "Maybe Charmaine and Brett will"

"I don't like Brett," said Edward, "He might be quiet, but his thoughts are vile"

"Let me guess, he was thinking about Bella?" asked Jasper knowingly.

"Yes," said Edward, "And I don't like it"

"Of course you don't" said Arielle.

"So, Riley," said Kyle, "What's up with you and Charmaine?"

"Nothing," mumbled Riley, "We were just friends at the castle"

"Are you sure?" asked Kyle.

"Yes!" snapped Riley, turning to leave. He paused, "I'll see you all later" he turned and stalked out of the room.

"Something's up," said Kyle.

"Yeah," said Bella, "I think this Charmaine might be a touchy subject for Riley"

"He's definitely not telling us the whole truth," said Arielle grimly, "And I think there's going to be trouble.

XXX

AN: Alright, how was that? Did you see the twist? I'm glad it worked out. Btw, look out for my new story, it's about Kyle and Arielle. It's called Moonlight Rays and the first chapter is up. It's a spin off of Starlight Crossings. Review!

oxBluexo


	6. Chapter 6: Caught

AN: so, everyone liked that twist

AN: so, everyone liked that twist. Thanks for all the reviews! On with chapter 6…

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 6: Caught**

Bella sighed inwardly as she looked up at the boy standing hopefully in front of her. Every school had a Mike Newton

"No, I'm sorry but I already have a boyfriend," it came out a bit more snappish than she intended.

The boy- Bella had not bothered to pay attention to his name- gave her a weak smile, "Okay, I understand. But is you ever break up with him—" It seemed that every one of these Mike Newtons had foolish bursts of courage too—"Call me" he winked and handed her a slip of paper, which, as soon as his back was turned, Bella cast away.

Bella had her head next to her untouched tray on the cafeteria, bemoaning the annoyance known as overly- persistent boys who found it impossible to take a hint.

"Something wrong, love?" asked a velvet voice, the owner setting his tray next to hers.

"Yes," she muttered, "I really wish he would stop trying."

"Who?"

"I don't know his name, some guy- oh look there he is" Bella pointed at the boy in question, who was about to give her a wink and a wave when he saw who was sitting next to her. Edward glared at him menacingly before turning to her.

"That's Drake Wilson. I think he's my new Mike Newton. His thoughts are certainly just as vile, not to mention annoying."

Bella laughed, "Of course they are"

"Hi Bella!" said Alice, setting down her tray, "How was class?"

"Boring," said Bella, "I thought being a junior was bad, being a sophomore is even worse"

"I agree Bella," said Kyle, sitting down with Arielle at his side, "I can't believe I enrolled in sophomore year. Arielle could have been a senior, or maybe even a junior with me"

"I told you that you had to enroll in the same grade as me," reminded Arielle, "Because I miss you too much when you finish school and I have a year left. Plus, the younger we are, the longer we can stay"

"Where are Anthony, Jasper, and Rosalie?" asked Bella.

"In the next lunch," said Kayla, arriving along with Emmett, "This school is big enough to have two lunches"

"And Riley?"

"Riley's home," answered Bella, "He's taking a 'sick day'"

"Why?" asked Emmett.

Bella shrugged, "I have no idea. He said he didn't feel like going to school. That's it. I think it has something to do with Charmaine"

"You know, these new vampire characters are weird," said Arielle thoughtfully, "I mean, have you ever noticed how like Aro Serena is? I was reading her aura yesterday, while we were being introduced and all, and you remember when I said that I'd seen Charmaine in the Volturi castle? Well, her aura just completely burst out in red- anger"

"That's interesting," said Bella, "Because I swore I saw her frown at Charmaine before becoming all smiley"

"I think she's scary," shuddered Kayla, "It's just like Arielle said, she's like Aro: overly happy and perpetually excited."

"I don't like that Brett." Said Edward suddenly.

Kyle rolled his eyes, "Of course you don't. He was constantly staring at Bella, and Edward can't have that. You have to give it up. Bella's pretty, there's no way boys _won't _be looking at her"

"I didn't like him either," said Bella, coming to Edward's defense, "He's mysterious. Like he has something to hide"

"Secretive," agreed Arielle, "I got the same vibe off of him. And notice how he didn't say anything? In fact, none of them said barely anything, except for Serena of course"

"Well, Serena's the leader," said Alice, "Maybe she just likes being in control"

"I still think it's odd," said Arielle, as she rose to throw away her uneaten tray.

XXX

"Bella!" Elena hugged her daughter figure, "I'm so glad you decided to drop by. How was school"

Bella rolled her eyes, "Boring as usual"

Elena smiled, "I'm sure"

Bella grinned back, "You know it. Anyway, I was looking for Riley"

Elena's forehead creased worriedly at this mention of her youngest 'son'. "He's not here. I ran out to do some errands, and when I came back he was gone"

Bella frowned, "That's weird"

"Riley's been acting very strangely this past month," said Elena, leading Bella inside the house, "He's constantly brooding, and it's been a while since he's cracked a grin. I'm worried about him Bella. He's just disappearing all the time"

"I know. Everyone else is worried too. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Well…" Elena hesitated, "There was a river that he mentioned once in passing… I'm guessing that he means the Willamette… it's actually quite close to the Cullen home"

"Alright. I think I'll go check there. Thanks Elena"

"No problem dear. Where's Edward?"

Bella snickered, "In detention"

"Detention?" Elena looked surprised.

"Yes" Bella nodded, "It's quite funny actually. He was caught for public displays of affection"

Elena raised an eyebrow, "And you weren't?"

"Well no," said Bella, "You see, it was Mr. Denney who caught us kissing. And Mr. Denney is an old geezer who _hates_ Edward. And happens to think that I'm an 'innocent victim of his charms'. So basically, he jumped at the chance to put Edward in detention."

"I suppose Kyle and Anthony will give him a field day?"

"Oh, so will Emmett, Jasper, and Arielle. Of course they won't bother me because I hae records of all the time _they_ were caught in school" Bella laughed, "Anyway, I'd better get going. I really want to talk to Riley"

"Go ahead. Bye Bella"

"See you Elena. Thanks again!" called Bella as she ran to her BMW.

Fifteen minutes later, the car slid to a stop at the last stretch of decent road.

Bella locked the car and began picking through the bushes, towards the sound of rushing water. Another ten minutes and the river finally came into sight, iron gray water frothing over rocks. She made her way down river, attempting to catch Riley's scent.

Suddenly, a fairly fresh trail caught her attention. She followed it for a few feet, and abruptly burst into a clearing to find Charmaine and Riley, caught in a lip- lock.

Bella's noisy entrance and following gasp made Riley and Charmaine break apart.

"Bella!" cried Riley in surprise.

Charmaine said nothing, just staring at the forest floor embarrassedly.

"H-Hi?" offered Bella.

Riley shook his head, "I guess the secret's out then."

"I'm sorry Riley," said Bella, "I didn't mean to stumble on that, really, I didn't. I just wanted to talk to you"

"Never mind," Riley waved her apology again, "I can trust you, can't I Bella?"

"It depends," said Bella warily, "If it's dangerous, I wouldn't like keeping it from the family"

"It's nothing like that, Bella," said Riley, "You see, Charmaine and I met at the Volterra castle," his gaze bored into Bella's, "I'm in love with her"

XXX

AN: lol, sort of cliffhanger. You guys are lucky, I was considering leaving it when Bella stumbled in on them. Kind of a pointless chapter, besides the end. Anyway, the twist… twists even more! Review please!!

oxBluexo


	7. Chapter 7: Revelations

Sunlit Pathways

AN: Chapter 7…

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 7: Revelations**

Bella stared, "Um… great?" she said weakly.

Riley raised an eyebrow, "That's it?"

"Give me a minute to work up to it," said Bella defensively, "I'm still in shock you know" she drew in an unneeded breath, "Okay, Riley Poole, what in the _world_ were you _thinking_?!"

Riley winced, "Look, I know she doesn't follow our habits—"

Bella waved him off, "I could really care less about that. Why didn't you tell us?! What do you think we would have done? Thrown you out? Just because you love a vampire who's not like us? You know better than that"

"I know, and I was going to tell you, but—"

"I didn't let him," cut in Charmaine, lifting her head and speaking for the first time, "Bella, let me explain"

"Go ahead"

"In covens like ours, the leader's word is law. Serena considers your coven stains upon the vampire world. She says that by refusing to eat humans you are defying the entire purpose of the vampire world: to satisfy your thirst as quickly as possible."

"So why is she staying with us then?"

Charmaine shrugged, "Serena has her reasons, which she never shares with any of us. Anyway, if she found out I was in a relationship with Riley, she wouldn't be happy. At all."

"If she really despises us so much, she's sure doing a good job of hiding it" said Bella, "So basically you can't tell anyone because Serena will find out, is that right?"

"Yes," said Charmaine.

"We mean it Bella. You can't tell anyone," stressed Riley, "Not even Edward. It's lucky that you have that power of yours"

Bella looked like she wanted to protest, but kept silent.

"Alright," she said, "I won't tell anyone. Unless there's any danger"

"We can deal with that," said Riley, looking to Charmaine for confirmation, who nodded, "In case of danger only"

"Right," said Bella, "I better get going," she added, checking her watch, "Edward will be back soon"

"Where did he go?" asked Riley.

Bella smirked, "Detention"

Riley and Charmaine's laughs sounded behind her as she ran to her car.

XXX

As soon as Bella entered her and Edward's room, something caught her waist, pressing its mouth to the back of her neck.

Bella giggled.

"I missed you love," Edward whispered in her ear.

"Back from detention?" asked Bella.

Edward rolled his eyes, "It's really not fair. You should have been in detention too."

"You know that Mr. Denney thinks that you're the epitome of bad boy messing around with good girl. Why didn't you read his mind?"

"What can I say?" Edward grinned, "I was caught up in other things"

"Exactly what got you in detention"

Edward pouted, "I still think I should be allowed to kiss my wife"

"Of course you are, but you are not allowed a full on make- out session with your wife- who is known as your girlfriend in school by the way- in the hallway"

Edward chuckled, "Last time I heard, you weren't complaining"

Bella grinned at him, "Okay, you got me"

"Yes I did," murmured Edward, picking her up and dropping her on the bed, looking down at her from on top.

Bella frowned, "I'm not sure I like this"

"Tough," said Edward, "Because I do. Now tell me what you did while I was in detention"

"Nothing," said Bella quickly, too quickly, "I looked for Riley, didn't find him"

Edward looked at her skeptically, not believing the lie, "Bella, I don't have your ability, but I can tell when you're lying"

"Alright I'm lying" said Bella. A few moments passed, and Edward looked at her expectantly. "What?"

"Aren't you going to tell me what you were doing?" he asked.

"No" said Bella instantly, "Trust me Edward, I know what I'm doing. It's not my secret to tell anyway"

"Fine" said Edward, "That's fine" Bella could tell he didn't like it, but he didn't press the subject further. And the matter wasn't brought up for the rest of the day.

XXX

"I don't like keeping things from him Riley," confessed Bella.

"I know," he sighed, "But Bella, if Serena finds out, Charmaine will be in deep trouble"

"Is she really that scary?"

"Yes she is. Bella, she's the leader. Remember, their word is law. Charmaine is so used to obeying her, it'll be a while before she can get over her threats of punishment"

"Are you sure I can't tell Edward? You can trust him too you know"

"Bella it's bad enough that you know"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, okay? Damn it Bella, I'm scared! If Charmaine gets killed… I don't know what I'm going to do! I can't lose her Bella, do you understand that?!"

"I do," said Bella, "I'd feel the same for Edward if I was in your position. So would everyone else. My point is, Riley, do you think we'd all be as stupid as that to go and tell Serena that you and Charmaine are in love?! We're your family Riley. You have to trust us"

"Look, Bella, it's not worth it, okay?"

"It damn well is worth it! What do you expect to gain from not telling anyone?! That somehow Charmaine will be able to stay behind when Serena decides that she has had enough of living here?! Or are you two just going to pretend you never met and move on with your existence?!"

"We'll figure something out"

"Don't you see, Riley?! If you tell the family, we can help you! We can get rid of Serena, and if her coven objects, them too. We're fifteen vampires, plus Charmaine, if she wants to fight with us. We could defeat them of they cause trouble. We defeated the werewolves"

"It's not worth it," Riley repeated.

"Riley Poole" Bella narrowed her eyes, seeing his intentions "Are you planning on _leaving_?"

"Yes I am" he glanced up at her defiantly, "I'm going to ask to join Serena's coven"

"Are you _mental_?"

"You were right, Bella. How will Charmaine and I manage to stay together? Well there's one solution left, isn't there? Without any bloodshed? I leave with them"

"You are mental!" said Bella, "Are you just going to leave like that? Destroy everything you've worked so hard for? That John and Elena have taught you?"

"Bella, I _love_ her—"

"If you loved her you'd fight for her!"

"I can't," Riley hung his head, "Charmaine is afraid of Serena. She has good reasons. I have to go with her. There's no other option. I'm sorry Bella"

XXX

AN: Now, just so you guys know, this is NOT a cliffhanger. Next chapter the scene changes. Well, this is getting twistier. Would you believe me if I said there's another twist? Because there is. Also, can we try to get the reviews up to fifty atleast? I mean, this story doesn't seem to get as much good reception as Starlight Crossings did? If you guys don't like it, I can always revamp it, just so you know. Meanwhile, review!!

oxBluexo


	8. Chapter 8: Open

AN: I apologize for not updating for so long

AN: I apologize for not updating for so long. I had major writers block, and it wouldn't go away! I'm still not satisfied with how this chapter turned out.

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 8: Open**

John looked up from his book as a knock sounded on his door, "Come in Bella"

Bella entered, a troubled look on her face.

"What's wrong?" asked John.

"It's Riley," she said, proceeding to tell him the entire story, from when she found Riley and Charmaine kissing until her talk with Riley. "And then Riley said that he's going to leave with Charmaine's coven" she finished.

John's face had grown graver with every worth, "Bella, you know that if Riley wants to leave we can't stop him"

"Yes we can," said Bella, "We can fight Serena and her coven can't we? The Cullens would help us. And then Charmaine could stay with us, with Riley"

"Would Charmaine want to follow our ways?" asked John.

Bella's face fell, "She should," she mumbled, "Riley is willing to change his ways for her, she should be willing to do the same for him"

"For all we know she might," said John, "I'm just opening up reasons as to why Riley would make the decision not to fight Serena. And this is one of them. If Charmaine doesn't want to change her ways, she can't live with us"

"I still think we should fight Serena," said Bella, "She can't be that powerful. Can she?"

John shrugged, "Serena has successfully evaded any questions about any of the coven members having a power"

"Of course she has," muttered Bella, "So there's nothing we can do?"

"I'm afraid not" said John, "But Bella, I promise we will do everything we can to keep Riley here, without going against his wishes"

Bella nodded, "Thanks John"

"Anytime. I can tell the other family members I assume?"

She nodded again, "Sure. Just… be careful. Serena shouldn't know. Luckily, she's gone hunting right now, along with the rest of her coven. I think I'm going to go to the Cullens. Edward will be waiting"

"Of course. Everything will be alright Bella"

"Yeah, it will" said Bella, heading outside.

XXX

Edward greeted her as she pulled up in the driveway.

"I heard you coming" he grinned crookedly, leaning himself on her door.

Bella smiled slightly back at him.

"What's wrong love?" he asked her worriedly, kissing her softly.

"Can we go somewhere?" she asked, "I need to tell you something"

Edward arched his eyebrows, "Does this have something to do with where you were yesterday?"

"Yes" she smiled, for real this time, "I know a place we can go. Hop in- literally"

Edward grinned as he did so, leaping over the passenger side door.

"This is why I love convertibles," said Bella, as she backed out of the driveway, speeding in the direction of the river.

"Why are we at the river?" asked Edward, as Bella parked at the last bit of decent road.

Bella began relaying her story to him as they walked to the river's edge.

"So he's decided to leave?" asked Edward, as he sat down on a rock, pulling Bella into his lap.

"Yes," said Bella disconcertedly, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his chest, "And I don't understand why he won't fight. I don't want him to leave. He's my brother"

"If Charmaine doesn't want to fight, there's no way Riley will," said Edward, "And even if she did," he said, seeing Bella was about to argue, "If there was the slightest chance that Charmaine would be in danger, he wouldn't want to. I can sort of see where he's coming from Bella. I wouldn't fight if you were under a coven leader who would kill you"

"You let me fight the werewolves," reminded Bella.

"Kyle told me not to be overprotective about that. My nerves were grated, though, with worry. But back to Riley," he tilted her chin to face him, "He's only trying his best to protect her"

"By throwing his entire family away?"

"Bella he loves her"

"He loves us too"

"She's right, I do," came a voice from behind them.

"Riley!" Bella's voice was sharp, "How did you get here?"

"Distracted, were you, Edward?" he asked, smirking slightly, "I was sure you'd hear me"

"Yes I was" said Edward, running a hand through Bella's hair, "She tends to be very distracting"

"I can tell," said Riley, "Anyway, Bella, relax. I'm not leaving"

"You're not?" Bella asked in relief.

He directed his gaze to the ground, "One look at Elena when she heard and I couldn't," he said softly.

Bella nodded understandingly. Edward looked at her questioningly.

"Riley is closest to Elena," she said, "She's very much like his mother, he says"

"I'm staying," said Riley, "And I've decided to get your help in fighting Serena and her coven, if it comes to a fight that is"

Bella broke away from Edward to run up to Riley and give him a hug. "I'm so glad you're staying" she whispered to him.

"I'm glad to be staying," said Riley.

"Did you tell the family?" asked Bella.

"Yeah," said Riley, "I was looking for you"

"And Charmaine?"

Riley cast his gaze to the ground again.

"You didn't, did you?" she said.

"No" he said softly.

"Tell her Riley. She should know."

"I'm scared… that she'll want to stay with Serena"

"Riley look at me," said Bella, "If she loves you, she'll stay with you. I promise"

He nodded, "I guess I'd better go huh? She should be back from hunting soon"

Bella smiled at him, ruffling his hair, "Tell her I said welcome to the family"

He grinned at her, hugging her again before running back through the forest.

Bella turned to Edward running at him at jumping up to hug him fiercely, "He's staying!"

Edward laughed, lifting her up.

"I'm so happy!"

"I can tell," he said, as he let her down, kissing her.

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Edward's phone rang.

Edward groaned before checking the ID. "It's Jasper" he murmured, before answering it.

Bella frowned.

"Edward, the fight's on" said Jasper.

"What? But Riley left only a few minutes ago"

"Serena found out about Riley and Charmaine"

"No" whispered Bella.

"Her coven returned from hunting a while ago. She was already fuming at Charmaine. She went for the girl, and then when we tried to stop her she turned on us and demanded to know where Riley was. You say he's on his way?"

"He is," confirmed Edward, leading Bella back to the car, "He left us a few minutes ago. He was going to tell Charmaine that he was planning on staying here"

"Serena is angry Edward"

"I know," he said as Bella started the engine, "We're on our way. See you in a few. Speed Bella," he added as he closed his phone.

Bella already had the car going at almost fifty miles above the speed limit, "What does Serena want?"

"She hasn't said yet. She's waiting for Riley."

XXX

AN: Like I said before, I'm not satisfied with this chapter. But, it'll have to do. I'm starting to write one immediately after I post this. Thank you for reading and PLEASE REVIEW!

oxBluexo


	9. Chapter 9: Battle

AN: here's chapter 8

AN: I apologize for not updating for so long. I admit, I was in a lazy writer stage. To make up for it, this chapter is extra long. Hope you like it. Also, we have Bella-Swan to thank for getting me out of the lazy writer stage. Thank you so much!

This chapter is dedicated to Bella-Swan 1313, thanks again! Hope you enjoy it!

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 9: Battle**

Sixteen vampires were gathered in the clearing behind the Cullen home. Edward and Bella smoothly slid to a stop next to the rest of their family, taking in the scene before them. Charmaine was on the ground, clutching at her leg, where three gashes were spilling venom. Riley was crouched next to her, his arm around her shoulders, glaring at Serena.

"Edward… Bella…" cooed Serena, "How nice to have both of you join us"

Bella said nothing, going over to Charmaine and Riley.

"Will she be alright?" she asked softly.

"I think so," said Riley, "They're not very deep"

"What do you want from us Serena?" asked John.

"First of all, I would love to tell you a story," she said sweetly.

"We don't have time for games," said Anthony.

"I think you'll have time for this one," said Serena, "You see, it concerns one of your newer members"

"Bella?" asked Kyle, "What does she have to with this?"

"Well, to put it simply, Bella here, belongs to us. And we want her"

Edward growled, "That's too bad, because you're not going to get her"

"Oh I think we are," said Serena happily, "That's what my story's about"

"I don't want to hear it," said Edward, "She's not yours, no matter what happens in this story of yours. Bella belongs here"

"We claim her," said Yvonne sneeringly, "Perhaps you should listen to Serena's story before you jump to conclusions"

"I'm not an item to be tossed around you know," said Bella, "I don't 'belong' to anyone. I'll stay where I want to, and I want to stay here. You," she directed at Serena and her posse, "can stop acting like you own me, because no matter what, you don't"

Edward let out another growl, this one directed at Brett, "Stop thinking about her," he said venomously.

"You can't deny it," said Brett, speaking up for the first time.

Edward glared, but did nothing.

"Let's get on shall we?" said Serena, "Thirty years ago, we were passing through an extremely rainy town. We decided to stop there for a few days. At night, we hunted. Brett was wandering with Yvonne looking for a nice kill when he smelled it"

"It smelled delicious," Brett took up the story. Everyone looked at him in surprise, this was the most vocal he had ever been, "Floral. All the other human scents around it paled in comparison. And it was calling me. I didn't try to resist, why should I? I immediately climbed up to the window where the scent was strongest. There was a girl there. She was beautiful, long brown hair, amazing chocolate colored eyes… wow. I--"

He was interrupted with an ear splitting growl as Edward rushed at him, tackling him to the ground.

"You changed her didn't you?" he snarled, "You wanted her blood, and you wanted her for a mate. You didn't even think about how you'd destroy her father. But of course you didn't stop. No, you couldn't stop. Her blood was amazing. But Yvonne pulled you away, didn't she? Until the transformation began?"

"You changed me," whispered Bella, staring as if unseeingly at Brett.

"The wolves were coming," said Yvonne, "Brett didn't want to leave the girl, he wanted to have her for a mate. So he carried her and both of us ran as fast and far as we could. The wolves followed, but eventually, we managed to slip past them. Or thought we did. They surprised us. Brett couldn't move fast enough, carrying the girl. I told him to just leave her. We could find her later. It wasn't like she was going to run away. So we left her. And we ran"

"Of course, we couldn't go back," said Serena, "The wolves were constantly patrolling the area. At the end of a week we figured that she must have gone somewhere else. After all, she must be thirsty. Brett has been searching for that girl ever since, to make her his mate. And he was unsuccessful, until now."

"You can't base your claim on the fact that he just changed her" said Kayla, "Besides, you abandoned her.

"Watch us" sneered Yvonne, "Brett has annoyed us for a long time about this girl. We're not finding her, only to leave her and have him whine for the rest of eternity!"

"I guess we'll just have to fight then, won't we?" snarled Edward, not removing his gaze from Brett.

"My, my," said Serena, returning to her poisonously sweet dialogue, "I really had hoped it wouldn't come to this"

Riley gently lifted Charmaine up and placed her a further distance away, coming to stand with the rest of his family.

"We're fighting for Charmaine too, Serena" he said quietly.

Serena stared, "Fine," she said dangerously, dropping into a crouch, "May the best side win"

The Cullens and Parkers tensed.

"She can't honestly think of three people taking on fifteen can she?" Kayla whispered.

Serena let out one of her tinkling laughs, contradicting her attacking position, "How naïve can you be? Did you really think we were fighting with three people? That would be foolish, even if Charmaine was on our side. You underestimate me" Suddenly she let out a scream, horrifying, but not for help. For reinforcements.

Alice suddenly lapsed into a trance, gasping at what she saw.

"I have been planning this for years," continued Serena, "Your large families have been a threat for too long. And now, you are even a larger threat. You don't think we would fight merely for Bella? Or now, Charmaine? Oh no, in fighting you, we eliminate one of the largest threats to my climb to being the supreme power in the vampire world"

"Hate to break it to you," said Anthony, "But the Volturi kind of already hold that position. And I don't see them giving it up anytime soon"

"She has about twenty more vampires," whispered Alice, breaking out of her vision, "She knows how to get around my ability. She's been changing decisions every second. These aren't newborns," she said, glancing at Jasper, correctly guessing what he was thinking, "I saw flickers of them fighting with us. These are experienced vampires"

"They are trained," said Yvonne, "By Serena and I." she grinned sinisterly, "These aren't as easy to defeat as the wolves."

"I hear them in the vicinity" said Riley.

A few moments later, white blurs began appearing, sliding to a stop behind Serena. Twenty-three vampires stood still in front of them, glaring with crimson colored eyes.

"Meet my army," said Serena, "And now, we fight"

The tension in the atmosphere was palpable, hanging over the unusually large crowd of vampires.

"Attack," said Serena quietly.

Like robots, the red eyed vampires moved swiftly forward, going towards their chosen target.

Brett instantly flipped Edward over, taking him by surprise. Edward quickly reacted, throwing Brett off. Brett picked himself up, and they began circling each other menacingly, each waiting for the other to make a move. Brett was attempting to distract Edward, screaming useless things in his mind, riling Edward to the best of his ability. Edward found it difficult to tune Brett out, growling at his opponent. Brett hit on the subject of Edward's weakest point: Bella. After catching the hint of the first particularly graphic thought concerning Bella, Edward attacked, taking Brett down on the ground. The two vampires rolled around on the ground, raising dust.

"I will get her Edward," said Brett, pinning said vampire to the ground. Edward threw him off once again, holding him by his throat.

"Not while I'm still here"

"We'll just have to fix that," said Brett, sending a punch to Edward's gut, succeeding in Edward letting go of his neck.

Edward retaliated by throwing a hard kick to Brett's stomach, sending Brett flying. Edward followed, but Brett had managed to land on his feet. The fight continued.

Bella was circling Yvonne, who was grinning at her maliciously. Dancing around each other, they reached out to make quick, snapping strikes, not going for the obvious kill. Bella perceived each of Yvonne's moves before she made them, and was able to dodge most of them, but Yvonne was no inexperienced fighter either. She struck quickly, and with precision, equalizing the skills, providing a reasonably matched fight.

Riley and Serena were engaged in a deadly battle. Serena was fierce and quick, a dangerous combination, raining sharp blows on Riley. Riley had his mind reading advantage however, and managed to figure out her strategy fairly easily. Serena managed to strike a particularly hard hit.

"Having second thoughts about fighting for your girl?" she hissed, looking down on him.

Riley used her momentary triumph to distraction, immediately sending a kick towards her head, making Serena fall this time.

"Never" he hissed back.

Serena snarled in frustration, looking more catlike, ferociously scratching out at him. Riley side-stepped just in time. The battle resumed as before, as Riley fought back with all his strength, realizing the stakes if he lost.

The twenty one vampires in Serena's army were attacking the rest of the Cullen's and Parkers. They were truly good fighters, and their training was apparent in every move. The golden eyed vampires worked hard to successfully dodge all the moves, as well as throw back some of their own.

Charmaine, sitting on the sidelines, gazed at the fighting with wide, red eyes. She paid particular attention to the battle between Riley and Serena, sharply drawing in a breath whenever Serena's hit came too close to Riley for her liking. And then, something changed. Her eyes became limpid, slightly dilated, still gazing at Riley and Serena's fight. And then, the pupils began sweeping over the entire fight, going back to Rilay and Serena, zeroing in on Serena in particular. Charmaine's eyes hardened. Her body began shaking, but her gaze never wavered from Serena, in spite of the tremors. Serena managed to get another hit past Riley. The blow on Riley acted as a catalyst.

Charmaine screamed.

And hell broke loose.

XXX

AN: Wow, that was hard. Well, anyone have any guesses to what Charmaine's power is? I thought about it for ages and then snap it just came. Again, everybody thank Bella-Swan1313, who got me out of my lazy writing stage. Thank you to all of the reviewers, I think I've replied to all of them, if I haven't please tell me. Thank you for reading, and REVIEW!

oxBluexo


	10. Chapter 10:Fire

AN: I'm sorry for not updating

AN: I'm sorry for not updating. I was painting my room all week and now I am finally done! whoops. It feels so good not to be covered in paint.

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Chapter 10: Fire**

The earth shook. Thunder rumbled. Winds blew violently. Lightning bolts flashed, striking the ground, hitting the fighting vampires, friend and foe alike.

"Charmaine!" screamed Riley, attempting to spot her in the chaos. Seeing Serena was occupied, he ran in the direction Charmaine had been sitting. Blindly running, he stumbled over something.

"Charmaine" he said, taking her still shaking body by the shoulders. Her eyes were closed now, and she couldn't seem to control the shaking. "Charmaine!" he tried to get through to her, "Come on Charmaine, snap out of it!"

More lightning bolts hit, a few vampires screamed. Emmett took advantage of the distraction to finish off his opponents, throwing their bodies into a fire which had been started by the lightning.

"Please Charmaine," said Riley desperately, stroking her hair, "Snap out of it, please"

Charmaine gave one last shudder, and remained still. In five seconds, the weather cleared, everything was calm. The ground was strewn with leaves. The fire was still going, blazing strong and letting off purple, sickeningly sweet smoke. Serena's army was reduced to about twelve vampires Serena, Yvonne, and Brett were still standing.. Edward was lying motionless on the ground, as was Kayla.

Bella was sobbing, kneeling over Edward's body, shaking him, begging him to wake up.

Anthony's eyes were blazing with fire, as he saw his mate on the ground, attempting and failing to rouse her.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked at large.

Alice knelt by Bella, shaking her brother too, and consoling Bella.

Serena looked on with twisted pleasure, "We do have some mourning to do, don't we?"

Anthony looked up at her fiercely, "You sick, twisted, bitch" he said angrily, tackling her and taking her to the ground.

Riley helped him, both of them grappling against Serena. Yvonne jumped in the fray, and Brett was about to follow, only to find his way blocked by Bella.

"Step aside" he commanded.

Bella smirked, "Dream on"

"Look, Bella, I don't want to hurt you"

"Looks like you don't have a choice," she said, moving forward.

"I didn't kill him, your pal Riley's girlfriend did"

"He's not dead," said Bella, "He's hurt. You attacked him didn't you, while he was distracted by the lightning. The same way Serena attacked Kayla? None of you fight fair, do you?"

"All fifteen of you were prepared to fight the three of us"

Bella laughed hollowly, "But we ended up fighting twenty four"

"Please Bella, I don't want to fight you. I've been looking for you for so long. You still look like that same beautiful girl I saw at the window"

"Shut up"

"I wanted you, Bella. Your blood was the sweetest thing ever, but I was so happy that Yvonne pulled me off. You could have been my mate."

"I said, shut up!" Bella flew at him, crashing to the ground, pinning him, "You killed me for your own selfish reasons. I can't be mad at you for that though, atleast I met a loving family and Edward. I am mad at you for hurting Edward though."

Brett used the same trick he had on Edward, flipping her over so she was pinned to the ground.

"I've dreamed about this," he said, grinning down at her, "Not quite in the same circumstances, but—aaahhh!"

Bella threw him off and he hit the ground hard, causing the earth to tremble. He stood up, glowering at her.

"Now Bella, that is no way to treat your mate"

"I am not your mate!" Bella screamed, slashing at him violently. Bloodless gashes began appearing on his body as she attacked fast and furiously. Just as she was about to bite his neck, hands on her arms stopped her.

"Let me take care of this part love" In one fluid motion. Edward sliced off Brett's head, swiftly dismembering him and chucking everything into the fire.

"Edward!" said Bella happily, jumping into his arms.

He laughed as she kissed every part of his face she could reach. "Should I look forward to this kind of welcome every time I return?"

"Nope" she said, "You're not leaving again"

He chuckled once more, proceeding to capture her mouth in a kiss.

As Edward and Bella rejoiced, Anthony and Riley managed to dismember Yvonne and cast her into the large fire. Serena, who had managed to avoid their hits for so long, quickly ordered what remained of the army to attack the Cullens, only to be tackled once more the ground by Riley and Anthony.

The order had been given, however, and the army attacked once more. Kyle scooped up his still motionless twin and laid her beside Charmaine, who was in the same condition.

Bella and Edward joined the Cullens and Parkers to help finish off the army, which seemed to be shaken by the loss of its nine members.

Arielle slashed off her opponent's neck, tossing him into the fire. Kyle followed with his own opponent.

The slashing and burning continued until there were only three vampires, plus Serena, left. Serena was being attacked by Riley and Anthony, who showed no signs of giving up soon. The three vampires, two males and one female, were being held by Emmett, Kyle, and Carlisle.

"Please, please don't kill us," sobbed the female, a pretty redhead.

"I think we should let them go Carlisle," said John, "After all, they were acting under Serena's orders."

"Of course," said Carlisle.

"If we must let them go," Emmett said sadly, "We'll let them go when Serena is finished off"

Heads turned to watch the fight going on a few feet away. Riley and Anthony had managed to rip off Serena's arm. Both of them closed in on her, as she attempted to slash at them. Riley jumped up in a sudden movement and sliced off her head, tossing it into the fire. Anthony shredded the rest of her and the pieces followed her head.

Riley rushed towards Charmaine and Kayla, Anthony following behind him. The Cullens and Parkers followed, releasing the remaining vampires and crowding around the two still bodies.

"Kayla…" murmured Kyle, kneeling next to her, "Why isn't she waking up? Edward did"

"What happened Edward?" asked John.

Edward shrugged, "I was looking for Bella. Everything was confusing, and then, Brett was coming towards me, and I… fainted I guess"

"Yvonne hit Kayla," whispered Bella, "I saw it"

"Riley? What happened to Charmaine?"

"It's her power," he said, looking up at them, "In her human life, she used to have a very volatile temper, and then when she was changed it magnified… a lot. That's why the Volturi wanted her, they thought they could help her control her power and keep her as one of their guards. A power like that could be very useful if controlled. If not, well, you saw what happened. She said it used to happen whenever she got slightly upset or angry, but now it only happens when she has violent surges of emotion. She goes into spasms, the weather gets messed up, and lightning hits the ground, she thinks that's to hurt whatever made her upset. And then she faints"

"Does she wake up?"

"Yeah she does, once she calms down. So why did Edward and Kayla faint? I thought vampires weren't supposed to faint"

"They aren't," said Carlisle, "I have never seen anything like this before. I thought it might have something to do with Charmaine's power. After all, she's fainted too"

Riley shrugged, "Maybe it does"

"When's Kayla going to wake up?" asked Arielle.

Alice's eyes glazed over as she attempted to see. "In five minutes," she murmured, as she snapped out.

"I think it was something to do with the hits they took as well as Charmaine's power" said Bella, "I mean, a lot of us took hits, but we didn't faint. I guess Charmaine's lightning bolts just stunned them, causing them to faint"

"That makes sense," said John, "We probably never will know exactly"

Kayla mumbled something unintelligibly as her eyes opened.

"Kayla!" Anthony swept her up, kissing her fiercely, "Don't you dare got o sleep again"

"It's nice to see you too" said Kayla, grinning at him affectionately, "So what happened?" she asked, looking up a everyone, "Is it over?"

"Yes, thank god" said Elena, gesturing towards the fire that was more purple smoke than flames.

"The fire's going down" said Esme, "Hopefully the smoke won't attract attention"

"I doubt it," said Kyle, as he hugged his sister, "They'll probably be worried about that weather spazz"

Charmaine shuddered slightly.

"Charmaine?" asked Riley.

"My head hurts," she mumbled, opening her eyes, "Oh god. I had an emotion surge, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," said Riley, kissing her, "But it helped us"

Charmaine seemed to just notice the vampires standing around her, "Oh… is Serena dead?"

"Yeah, she is," said Bella, "So is most of the army. Speaking of the army, I think those three ran away"

Sure enough, the no other vampires stood in the clearing.

"Maybe we'll see them again someday" said Rosalie.

"Charmaine," said Elena, "Would you like to stay with us?"

Charmaine brightened, "Of course I'd love to!"

"It includes following our habits" said Elena.

"I think… that I'd like that," said Charmaine slowly, "I might need some help though," she looked apologetic, "I've lived off humans all my vampire life"

"Of course," said John.

"All of us will help," assured Bella, casting a smug look at Riley.

"Alright, Bella," Riley admitted, "You were right"

"About what?"

Bella and Riley glanced at each other.

"Long story" said Bella.

"What time is it?" asked Arielle.

"It's three in the morning," said Jasper.

"School soon," sang out Alice, "Charmaine, I know you're not going, but can I please dress you?"

"Now you're in for it…" muttered Bella.

Alice hit Bella, "I'm not that bad"

"Yeah she's not," said Arielle, "Come on, Charmaine, we'll help"

"Okay" said Charmaine hesitantly, glancing at Riley.

"Go ahead," he smiled at her.

A light hearted atmosphere rested over them, as the vampires entered the house with the newest addition to the family.

XXX

AN: Yay, Riley finally has a mate, and everything is good again. I think there'll be only one or two more chapters, probably with some Bella/ Edward fluff, and an epilogue. I need to end this story, because I'm going on vacation for two months with limited internet access, and I don't want to leave this one hanging. Thank you for reading, and please review and tell me what you think.

oxBluexo


	11. Epilogue

AN: First of all, I apologize for my ridiculously long break. I went to a place without any internet connection, and then once I was back I got swept into school. Teachers are evil. Anyway, here (FINALLY) is the eleventh chapter of Sunlit Pathways.

**Sunlit Pathways**

**Epilogue**

_One year later…_

Bella sighed as they saw the purple Cadillac (Charmaine's choice) speeding away.

"That was a perfect wedding" she murmured, leaning against Edward, who wrapped an arm around her, "Charmaine looked like a dream"

"So did you" said Edward, kissing the top of her head, "Charmaine knows how to pick bridesmaid's dresses too" he added, fingering the satin blue material of her dress.

"I don't think Charmaine had anything to do with picking out anything except her dress" chuckled Bella.

"Point" agreed Edward, as Alice mock-glared at Bella, skipping over to them.

"I'm willing to bet that they will thank me for such a nice wedding once they're back from their honeymoon" she said, "You guys did"

Bella looked up at Edward, "Well we can't argue with that can we?" he laughed as he kissed her softly.

"Stop it" complained Alice, "I have news anyway"

Bella and Edward smiled, prolonging their kiss for a few seconds just to annoy her.

"Ugh" Alice covered her eyes.

"Okay Alice, you can look now" said Edward, as they pulled away.

"Honestly," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, "Anyway, we're thinking of moving!"

"Already?" asked Bella in surprise, "Aren't we going to wait another year or so"

"Well… you guys are going to wait another year," said Alice, "We are going to leave"

"We're going to stay behind with the Parkers?" asked Edward.

"Until you graduate" said Alice, "And then you will come join us"

"Where would that be?"

"Anchorage" replied Carlisle.

Kyle and Kayla glanced at each other, "Anchorage huh?" said Kyle, "You know, I wonder how Rick's kids are doing…I heard he married Cathy"

"Cathy?" said Kayla disbelievingly, "You mean my best friend Cathy—You never told me that!"

Kyle shrugged "It never came up"

"Wow, I never knew Cathy had a thing for Rick" said Kayla in wonder.

"Um… could you fill us in here?" questioned Emmett, "Because we're kind of clueless as to what you're talking about"

"I know you two were born in Anchorage" said Bella, frowning at them.

Arielle chuckled, "Kyle's best friend, Rick"

"Kayla's best friend, Cathy" added Anthony. He slung an arm around his wife, "Those were good times. I liked Anchorage"

"Only because you met the love of your life" said Arielle.

"As I recall, dear sister, you, met the love of your life there too" countered Anthony.

"He's right" said Kyle.

"So when are you leaving?" asked Bella.

"Next month" said Rosalie.

"Carlisle will get a 'job offer' within next week," said Jasper, "He'll move with Esme and Alice. Rosalie, Emmett, and I will go to 'university'"

"Me and Kayla are going to college too," said Anthony, "Except we'll go for real"

"Where are you going?" asked Emmett.

"Let's see Kayla, where would you like to go?" asked Anthony with a flourish, "Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard, Brown?"

"You realize the only place we can actually go is Dartmouth right?" pointed out Kayla.

"Or you could go to a non Ivy League school" added Rosalie.

"How about you go to Alaska Pacific University with us?" suggested Kyle, "Well, not with us-" he amended, "- since someone arranged it so I wouldn't be graduating this year"-Arielle gazed at the sky innocently, "-but you could go there and we could join or something"

"Anthony, let's go to University of Alaska," said Kayla, "Sorry Kyle, but a small school is not for me. I haven't been to Anchorage since I was changed"

"Sure," said Anthony easily, "So we're going to the University of Alaska, Anchorage"

Bella looked up at her husband "Edward, do you think we could pass as college undergraduates?" she asked.

Edward chuckled, "Not really love, but we could stretch the lines little I suppose. Why?"

"I want to go to college" said Bella, "I haven't been to college yet, because no one's gone to college since Riley and I were changed, and now that you're here and everyone's going I'd really, really like to go—"

"Calm down Bella" Edward grinned, "If you want to go to college, we'll go. Where would you like to go?"

"Well… Dartmouth sounds fine, but do you think I'd get in?"

"They'd be crazy not to accept you Bella, relax. You got 790's on the SAT's, and those ten points were lost on purpose."

"So we'll be sending in our applications?"

"Absolutely" said Edward.

"Yes!" Bella kissed him fiercely.

"And here they go again" said Alice, rolling her eyes, as Emmett catcalled.

"We had no idea Bella was this eager to go to college" muttered Kyle.

"She's right, none of us went to college after she and Riley got changed because we wanted to help them through school and stuff" said Arielle, "Emmett, Rosalie, how about you?"

They looked at each other— "Africa"—With simultaneous grins.

"Jasper? Alice?"

"Good question" said Jasper, "Are we going to be alone in high school Alice?"

"I don't think Esme and Elena appreciate that we are planning to all go off and leave them alone" put in Edward, finally breaking away from Bella.

"Look who resurfaced" commented Rosalie.

Esme smiled sheepishly.

"Ha! Jasper, looks like you are stuck in high school" teased Emmett, "Should have dibbed Africa first"

"I have no interest in going to Africa Emmett" Jasper rolled his eyes, "We're fine, aren't we Alice?"

"Yup" she said brightly, "We'll have fun in high school without our weird brothers and sisters. Maybe we'll make some friends"

"I wouldn't count on that Alice" said Arielle, "As far as I remember, Anchorage was a town suspicious of all newcomers."

"Hey," protested Kyle, "I had a crush on you remember?", earning a "Don't you mean obsession?" from Kayla.

Arielle ignored him, "I bet high school will be worse than college"

"I look forward to it" said Jasper, his optimism gone.

"Riley and Charmaine will join you soon" said Kyle, "They plan on taking a short honeymoon, unlike these two nuts here-" he glanced at Edward and Bella, "- who took a year. I doubt Charmaine will go to school though"

"Jasper," said Alice suddenly, "You are going to enroll as a sophomore with me"

Jasper groaned, "Why?"

"Because Riley will enroll as a junior, and if you enroll as a junior too I will go through a year alone!"

Kyle snickered, "Have fun, Jasper"

"Thanks for the confidence" said Jasper dryly.

"Anytime"

The vampires burst into laughter, reveling in the happy moments of eternity and reflecting upon what the rest of eternity held. Anchorage seemed to be their next milestone. What would they encounter there? But that, is another story…

**The End**

**IMPORTANT AN:** Sigh, it is over. Excuse the clichéd ending. And sorry if the spacing is messed up I just got Microsoft Vista, and I'm just getting used to it. Again, I apologize for not updating all this time. But there are some things that need to be cleared up. First, for all of you who are reading Moonlight Rays, it is going to be deleted in 2 weeks. I'm sorry, but I am drawing a complete blank on what should happen next, I started this story on a whim which I shouldn't have done, because now, I am stuck. But there is an important Author's note as the last chapter, which concerns adoption of my stories or characters, so please check that out if you are interested. Again, sorry for the long wait and THANK YOU for being such good, patient readers and reviewers. You guys are the best!

Love,

Blue


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